Vendetta
by BlackMasquerade
Summary: Sequel to 'Partners'. A killer is chasing down all the people Kitty McKinnon has ever loved. When the killer goes after McGee Kitty finds a re-newed sense of urgency to find the killer before Tim's life comes to a bloody end.
1. Prologue

"Is she coming, Probie?" DiNozzo asked McGee who was standing above him scratching his head.

"I guess, I mean I called her half an hour ago." The younger agent replied squatting next to th senior field agent to dust the handle of the steak knife for prints.

A navy lieutenant and his wife had been identically stabbed in the chest with steak knives in their driveway earlier that morning. A neighbour walking his dog had found them.

"Killer wasn't wearing gloves." McGee state triumphantly. His minor celebration was cut short by the roar of an engine.

Kitty McKinnon pulled up to the house on a monster Ducati 848, her 16th birthday present from her parents.

She turned her vehicle off, removed her helmet and ducked under the crime scene tape.

Ducky shook his head and stood from the lieutenant's body to address Jethro.

McGee stood from the wife's body to examine the steak knife in the lieutenant's chest.

Kitty put on a pair of gloves and crouched by the wife's body.

"They both died from a stab wound to the heart with identical knives, Jethro…" Ducky was telling Gibbs.

"You done with the wife here, Duck?" Kitty interrupted.

"Oh, yes of course." He said and went back to briefing Gibbs.

Tony watched as Kitty reached up to the wife's face and closed her staring eyes.

"Boss," Ziva began, "the neighbour said that Lieutenant McKinnon and his wife had a daughter living with them and a son in Seattle. The daughter has been away from home frequently for several weeks, we should try to track her down."

"She already knows, Ziva." Kitty looked up at the conversing trio, which fell silent quickly in harsh realization.


	2. Chapter 1

"Now, Katherine, the matter of your brother…" Ducky began talking to Kitty one the crime scene had been thoroughly processed.

"I can have him in from Seattle tomorrow." Kitty said deadly, as she watched Palmer wrap up the bodies of her parents.

Ducky sighed. "I'm really very sorry about this…"

"Wasn't your fault, Duck."

"Were you close?" he felt idiotic asking but most teenagers these days opted to break away from their parents.

Kitty simply interlocked her fingers.

"I see."

Gibbs walked over quickly after giving DiNozzo a set of instructions.

"Why's your brother in Seattle, Kit?"

"He's living with several other guys. They have a band."

"How soon..?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"First thing."

"Yes, boss."

"And Kitty?" Gibbs turned back to her as he walked away. "I'm really sorry."

Kitty smiled weakly and nodded.

McGee had just finished taking notes on the crime scene and looked up in time to see Kitty pulling out her cell phone and dialing with a shaky hand. She put the phone to her ear and massaged her temples.

"Hi Archie, it's Kitty… I've been better… No, no. I'm fine. Look, there's been an accident… no, she's fine. It's mom and dad… they were murdered…" her voice shook and she delicately passed her fingers under her eyes to wipe away several tears that had found their way out of her eyes. "Yes. Look, I need you down here tomorrow… No, no, I know. I'll wire you some money… yeah… yeah, I'll let them know our coming… No I live with one of the agents I work with at the moment… You don't have to worry about me… If it makes you feel any better he's about as fight ready as a wet French fry, I can take him." She winked at a hurt looking McGee as she listened to her brother on the other end of the phone. "That doesn't make you feel better? Oh, well. I have a gun does that work?... Yup! Okay… I'll see you later… I love you Archie. Bye."

She closed the phone and wiped a tear from her face.

Gibbs, who had been listening was silently chuckling to himself about the French fry comment.

"Boss, do you need me anymore today?" she asked with a sense of unwilling determination in her voice, as though she was dead set against letting this bother her.

"Nope. You go make sure your brother gets in okay. Your gun loaded?"

"Of course, boss."

"Go ahead then."

The young agent walked solemnly to her bike, donned her helmet and left. Although the roar lost no volume from when the girl arrived the sound was melancholy, echoing the driver's feelings.

McGee looked at his shoes. Gibbs came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tim would you be alright taking care of her for a while longer?" He asked in his hushed tone.

"Yeah sure, boss. Hey, um, Gibbs…" he asked as his supervisor was turning to leave. "What's gonna happen to her after all this is over? Like, when we catch the guy?"

"Honestly, McGee? I was hoping that you would continue to take care of her. I want to keep her custody with the agency, she's a coveted resource for the government and criminals alike. Do you know what a criminal could accomplish with her on their side? Of course, she's never do it willingly, but she's in danger nonetheless."

"Why me, boss?"

"I feel that she's safe with you. Why? Do you prefer she live with DiNozzo? Ziva? Abby and her coffin..?"

"No, sir."

"Good."

******************************************************************************************

Abby groaned in utter anguish that evening as Gibbs, McGee and DiNozzo walked into her lab.

"What do you have for us, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing! There were absolutely no matches in AFIS to the print McGee pulled from the knives. We have nothing!" Abby collapsed onto Gibbs' shoulder. "Kitty's parents were murdered and I've got nothing! I'm failing her Gibbs!"

"What about the blood we found a few feet away from the bodies?" Gibbs asked holding her at arms-length.

"That was the Lieutenant's blood. I think it would be safe to say he was stabbed there and tried to run to his wife, but died on the way."

"Did we get a match on the print from the knife?" Kitty walked In through the door to join her team.

"No! Not even a close match." Abby hugged the young agent. "I'm sorry! Please don't hate me?"

"I don't hate you Abbs." Kitty assured her.

"Where's your brother, Kit?" Gibbs asked with a tone of distress in his voice.

"He got on the plane an hour ago. If all goes well, he'll be in D.C. in four hours." She said when Abby finally let go of her. "I'll go pick him up as soon as he lands."

"Where is he staying?"

"With some friends of ours, in an old three floor apartment building. He'll be safe."

"How do you know?"

"That place has more security installed than our building. One of the guys there is so techno-savvy, he could beat McGee in a Pentagon hack-off without blinking."

"Really?" McGee asked in a tone of awe mixed with irritation.

"Yup." Kitty said simply.

"Do they know he's coming?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, I went to talk to them for the last hour after Archie left Seattle."

"Four hours you said?"

"Yes."

"Alright, McGee you're going with her." Gibbs said with finality.

"Yes boss."

"Gibbs." Kitty started carefully, "Do you think that I… I mean, my brother and I are in danger?"

"Until I know better, yes, I do think you are."

Kitty nodded and sniffed. She looked at the blinking red _negative match_ warning on the computer screen.

"No match…" she said quietly, mostly to herself. "What are the odds," she addresserd the whole team, "that a first-time offender would choose to commit a double homicide as his first offense on a whim? Especially if one of the two victim had triceps the size of large hams?" She referred to her father.

"Slim to none." Gibbs replied.

"So that would mean..?" Kitty supplied her usual fill-in-the-blank method of thought organization.

"It wasn't random, and it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. This guy knew there would be two victims; two identical knives. He knew who he was going for." DiNozzo finished. "And if this is his first offence, it would suggest he was prompted to do this."

"But by _what_, DiNozzo?" Gibbs turned to him.

"Revenge is always a popular motive." Abby supplied.

"Kitty," Gibbs walked around the evidence table and took her by the shoulders, "did either of your parents ever do anything that might have driven someone to do this?"

"No they were both faithful, they never intentionally harmed another living thing. But of course," she said, "my dad _was_ in the Navy. Any nut with a grudge." She supplied bluntly.

"Did your father ever kill anyone without good reasoning?"

"No! He never discussed the death aspect of his job and even if he did kill people," she looked directly into Gibbs' eyes as she spoke slowly, "he would never have done it unless it was a last resort. He would do anything to save a life."

She looked back at the _negative match_ sign with a look of sheer hurt on her face.

"Any nut with a grudge."


	3. Chapter 2

Nearly four hours later Timothy McGee and Kitty McKinnon stood on the terminal awaiting the imminent arrival of Archie McKinnon.

Kitty mostly stared at the arrival boards waiting for the status next to Archie's flight to turn to _Arrived_ but there was no doubt in McGee's mind that she was watching the plane anyway.

He watched as the normally fun-loving, dancing eyes of his Gibbs- described proxy-daughter turned into sad dead lumps of burnt ash. They had transformed just as quickly as her personality. She had been smiley, happy, gleeful, and laughing only yesterday. She always wore her hair in a bun so you could see her full face, every hint of mischief, every smile. Now her hair was worn down, parted deeply to the side so the hair covered half of her face. Her new sullen, pale, dead looking face and lifeless eyes.

Kitty stood suddenly and straightened the front of her white blouse.

"He's here." She said in the most enthusiastic tone she had used all day, although it would have only sounded enthusiastic to the people who had been conversing with her today. To any passer-by she may have sounded as though she were headed to the gallows.

The automatic doors slid open and hordes of people came streaming out, a strangely large amount of people considering the flight arrived at 11:00 PM on a Thursday.

People came to the doors and greeted colleagues and loved ones. McGee saw the pained look on Kitty's face as she watched two young children run to the doors to greet their mother.

The crowds began dispersing and the luggage had begun to fall onto the carousel.

Kitty's face suddenly lit up with an almost joyful glow. McGee looked to the doors to see a teenage boy with short dark, moss-green hair, eyes of sea water and a very athletic build stop a few feet before her.

The two stared at each other for a long moment before the boy took two strides forward and wrapped his arms around his sisters shoulders.

McGee felt a wave of pain wash over him as he saw Kitty's shoulders shake within her brother's safe hold. Tears slid down her face and hung at the tip of her nose. She made no sound as she broke down in her carefully planned defenses in her brother's arms.

A few tears slid down the boys face as well before he wound his arm around her waist and walked her over the short distance to McGee.

She lightly shook her head and recomposed her look of melancholy nonchalance to the best extent she could manage.

"Tim, this is Archie." Her voice was smooth and calm sounding.

McGee shook the teenager's free hand with an apologetic smile.

Kitty looked up at her brother. "We should leave. The, uh, guys are waiting up."

"You should've told them not to." His voice was deep with a slight rasp to it.

"I did, but they wouldn't hear it; especially Leanne."

Archie blushed slightly. "Alright, then. Let's go."

*****************************************************************************************

Archie had ended up riding on the back of Kitty's Ducati to the small three floor apartment where the other six teenagers lived.

McGee followed the two to the door. Kitty unlocked the door and stepped inside beckoning for McGee to follow.

"They're just teenagers, Tim, they don't bite." She whispered to him.

_They did when I was in school,_ Tim wanted to say.

Out of nowhere six new bodies flooded the hallway hugging and greeting the two McKinnons.

One guy very strongly built, but not out of proportion came over to McGee who instantly straightened his back, feeling a subconscious inferiority to the young man's physique.

"You must be Special Agent McGee." The boy said shaking Tim's hand. "I just wanted to thank you for taking such good care of Kitty. She looks like she's doing well, considering the circumstances."

"It's no problem at all. She's great company." Tim replied. He looked back to the group of friends before him.

Kitty was sharing a long look with a short tanned guy. He had short brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. The way he shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets, the way he hunched his shoulders defensively and shifted his weight on his feet portrayed an air McGee was only too familiar with. The air of an abused geek.

Kitty turned a cold shoulder to the geeky guy and hugged her brother.

"I'll be around at oh six hundred tomorrow morning." She told him.

"Military time?" he answered with a smirk.

"What can I say? I've been hanging around my boss too long." She said smiling at him. "Take care, Arch."

"Don't worry about me, Kit."

She smiled at him one last time and left the house with McGee in tow.

******************************************************************************************

Later that evening in McGee's apartment Kitty had sat down on her couch/bed to write. Tim was reviewing some material he had written at his writing desk. They could see each other through the bookshelf.

"Whatcha thinking about McGee?" Kitty said putting her pen and notebook down on the floor and looked at him.

"Thought you could read minds." McGee said, not looking up.

"Who told you that?"

"No one had to tell me. You read Abby's mind when Gibbs asked you to tell him who was behind the glass the first time you came to NCIS."

"Oh, that. No. I can't read minds."

"Then how..?" he finally looked up to see her hugging her knees and resting her face on the caps; looking at him cutely.

"I can read body language well, and Abby is particularly easy to read. You should watch her sometime, very closely."

"But you knew exactly what she was thinking."

"Like I said, I can read body language well. It comes from years of being isolated from other people at school. Kids do not value brains much these days." She shook her head and stretched out. "You see: Abby stood farther away from the glass than you, Tony or Ziva. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and kept locking her knees. She was obviously not used to the situation. That's how I knew she wasn't supposed to be there.

"As for how I knew she was thinking about me… she was straining her eyes and squinting at me, as though she were analyzing me, trying to see every inch of me she could… judging me. Although it was probably subconsciously, Abby doesn't judge consciously."

"Fine. But our names and positions in the team. How did you know those?"

"I looked at your ID cards."

"Oh."

"Yup. There's no magic behind what I do. Well, no magic save the obvious. It's all careful observation.

"Which is half-way why I needed to use my computer to find Jackson. Even if I had tried to see him, chances were good that he would have been in a suburban neighbourhood with no unique or distinguishable land-marks that I would have been able to use to figure out where he was.

"So I tracked him on my computer to find an initial position that I could follow him from."

McGee nodded. "Okay. One more question. You told Gibbs you can't see someone you don't know. So how did you see us?"

"Okay. If I have a name AND face or a location I can find who we're looking for. Although, if I have a location, I can tell you who's there, I can't distinguish between one person and another in terms of who committed a murder and who didn't. Unless their body language implied a very on edge or guilty appearance, but that's very complicated not to mention unlikely."

McGee pursed his lips and furrowed his brow.

"Yeah I know, it's a lot to take in at once."

"That might be an understatement." He said and smiled at her. "Want a cup of coffee?"

"That sounds great. And Tim?" she stopped him as he walked towards the kitchen. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Anytime. You really are a pleasure to have around." He smiled.

"I'm glad you see it that way, Tim." Kitty said picking her notebook and pen back up and continuing in her neat, cursive script.


	4. Chapter 3

The next day McGee and Kitty walked into the bullpen to find Ziva and Tony looking over a list of names and photos on the plasma.

"I still don't know, Ziva, this list does not look long enough…" Tony said skeptically.

"Maybe it just fits with Kitty's story that he was a non-violent man, Tony." Ziva replied.

"Who are these people?" Kitty asked.

Tony turned around and started.

"You look very… Abby-ish today…" he said slowly.

Kitty was dressed in a grey tank top with a short sleeved black see-through blouse and a pair of black trousers. Her eyes were made up with deep blue and black shadows, her lips adorned with deep burgundy. Her hair, however, was back up in its bun.

"My parents died yesterday, Tony. I don't feel like dressing cheerfully." She said. "Now, what is this list?"

"The names of all the people your father killed." Ziva elbowed Tony in the ribs. His tender spot.

Kitty sighed heavily. "Are we calling the families? Seeing if they might have wanted my father dead?"

"Not yet. We were going to flower through and eliminate the ones whose families cannot gain access to America."

"Weed, Ziva, not flower. How many are on the list?" Kitty asked.

"Only about thirty." Tony said.

"_Only_ thirty?!" she exclaimed incredulously.

"That's pretty good for twenty years of service." Tony defended his claim. "You were right, he wasn't a violent man."

"Most of these guys were terrorists with no families." Gibbs snuck unintentionally up behind them. He pushed a few keys on Tony's computer and over half the list disappeared. "Tony, you and Ziva call the rest of these people's families and find anything that could be considered revenge centered motive."

"On it, boss." Tony said. He and Ziva sat at their respective desks and got phoning.

"What can we do boss?"

Gibbs looked at Kitty then at his watch and back at Kitty.

"You could start by bringing me that brother of yours…"

"Oh, God, I completely forgot! I'm so sorry, boss! It won't happen again!" she hurried into the elevator and out of the building.

"It better not." Gibbs muttered behind her.

As soon as she was gone Gibbs looked up at McGee from his desk.

"I didn't want to ask you think in front of her, but I want you to go to Abby's lab, get the lieutenant's laptop and search for signs of him being involved in something."

"What kind of 'something' boss?"

"Conspiracy, robbery, infidelity; anything suspicious McGee."

"Yes, boss."

******************************************************************************************

"Thank you for your time." Ziva hung up on the last of the families on the list. "I can't believe we have nothing!"

"We have less than nothing, Ziva. We've got so much nothing Gibbs is gonna kick our Federal butts all the way to Timbuktu." Tony came over and leaned on his knuckled on her desk.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with you. We are…"

"You're what, Ziva?" Gibbs asked as he came back from talking to Abby and McGee.

"Nothing, sir."

"Well, you two had better have something to report. Abby had nothing, McGee had even less. Give me some good news, DiNozzo."

DiNozzo looked at Ziva as if you say: _Be happy I'm taking a bullet for you._

"We have diddly, boss."

"The music artist?" Ziva inquired.

"_Diddly_, Ziva, not Diddy."

Gibbs groaned and fell back in his chair. "I hope to God her brother can help us."

At that very moment the elevator doors whooshed opened and Kitty exited with her green-haired brother. Unlike her he was dressed in a royal blue hoodie and sweatpants. A pair of black Converse All-Stars were tied tightly about his narrow feet.

Kitty led her brother into the bullpen to meet her team.

"This is my brother, Archie McKinnon. Archie these are Special Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo and this is Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David. McGee, whom you met yesterday, is… around. Somewhere." She said as Archie shook hands with the team.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I just want to thank you for taking such good care of my sister." Archie addressed Gibbs gratefully.

"Thank McGee." Gibbs said turning to Tony. "DiNozzo take Mr McKinnon down to Interrogation."

"Interrogation?! Gibbs…" Kitty questioned with concern.

Gibbs put a firm calming hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Kitty, I'm just going to ask him a few questions. You can watch with Tony, if you want."

"Yes, boss."

******************************************************************************************

Gibbs settled into his chair across from a worried looking Archie McKinnon.

"So, Mr McKinnon, are you older or younger than your sister? I can't tell." He began with a relatively inane question. A technique he sometimes used to soften up interrogation victims.

"Younger by ten minutes. We're twins, sir."

"Hmmm." Gibbs smiled to himself. "Do you know of anyone who might want to do this to your parents?"

"No. They were good people. Honourable. They had solid beliefs, good morals and values. They were nice to everyone. Everyone loved them. When my dad was on location he never killed a man unless it was his only option. He believed in peace."

"Where were you around oh five hundred yesterday morning D.C. time?"

"Oh God that's what… like two in the morning in Seattle? I was definitely asleep in my dorm then. I can call someone to confirm that for you…"

"Just give me a number." Gibbs held a notepad and pen out to the boy.

Archie scrawled a number on the paper and handed back the items. "Am I a suspect, Agent Gibbs?"

"Yep."

"May I ask why I am and my sister is not?"

"Kitty had McGee vouch for her whereabouts at the time your parents were killed. Your alibi still needs confirmation."

Gibbs' phone rang as he and Archie held an icy gaze for a few minutes.

"Gibbs… on it director." He hung up. "Mr McKinnon, you're free to go, for now. Is there a number we can reach you at?"

Archie scrawled his own number under the first and left.

Gibbs met his two observing Agents in the hallway.

"Tony, find Ziva. Kitty go get Tim from Abby's lab. We have a Staff Sergeant and his son dead. It may be connected to your parent's death." Gibbs confirmed Kitty's worst fears.


	5. Chapter 4

The team rolled to a stop in front of a single floor duplex where the Staff Sergeant and his son had been murdered.

"This place look familiar, Kitty?" Gibbs asked in a sympathetic tone.

"Nope." Kitty said hopefully. "What was the Staff Sergeant's name?"

"Charles Hickey." DiNozzo said walking through the front door of the house to see the bodies.

Kitty crouched by the door frame with Ziva to learn from the older agent.

"No sign of forced entry." Ziva stated after examining the frame for tool marks. She checked the lock. "Lock hasn't been picked."

"So, either the door was unlocked or someone inside let the killer in." Kitty said standing up.

"Hey, boss, you sure these guys are father and son?" DiNozzo called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, why?"

"Might wanna come see this."

Gibbs, Kitty and Ziva entered the kitchen. From the doorway you could see down the hallway heading to the bedrooms. A middle-aged, ashy skinned man lay with a knife protruding for his chest. His US Navy T-shirt was soaked in his own blood.

There was a divider between the kitchen table and the side door which led outside. From behind the divider a pair of socked feet protruded on the end of large, strong looking, khaki-clad legs.

Gibbs walked to where he could look over the waist high divider to see the supposed son. A flash of annoyed confusion crossed his face.

"He's white!" he exclaimed.

"It's not unheard of, boss. Some kids have biracial parents and take solely after one skin tone. My friend Kevin Carlisle is white but his biological father… is… black…" she slowed her speech as the whole team realized what she had said. "Dear God." She whispered.

Gibbs beckoned for her to come look at the body. Slowly, very slowly, she approached the divider to look over. She started when she saw the dead green eyes staring at the ceiling, the sandy hair matted with blood. The strong, heavy frame laying unmoving on the floor struck a sadness into her heart that could not even begin to be understood by the team members who surrounded her now.

She gulped to keep the tears from flowing. "It's Kevin."

DiNozzo sighed and looked down at Kevin Carlisle's body, which he was crouched next to.

"Why doesn't he share his father's last name?"

"His parents were never married. He took his mother's name." she looked sadly into those glassy, green, unseeing eyes. "He was my best friend…"

DiNozzo took out a pair of tweezers and pulled a blonde hair from where it lay on Kevin's chest. "Anyone in his family blonde, Kit?"

She thought for a moment. His mother had short dark hair. His brother and brother-in-law both had short dark hair. His sisters' hair was red. He had four nieces: two with long dark hair. Then Annette and Anya…

"Only his three-year-old nieces. But there's no way they did this." She glanced unwillingly at the identical steak knives impaling the two men's chests. "We can probably run the hair through CODIS, might bring up a match." Kitty suggested.

"Kevin? Charlie?" A woman's voice called from the front.

Gibbs looked at Kitty sideways with his take-care-of-it look. She nodded and went outside to see who was trying to get into their crime scene.

"Kitty? What are you doing here? Where's Kevin and Charlie? Why are all these trucks here?" a tall red-headed woman Kitty knew to be Kevin's older sister, Terri, asked her while looking nervously at Ducky's truck which had just pulled in. Through the windshield Kitty could see Palmer in the drivers' seat apologizing with full gesticulations to Ducky for obviously getting them lost again.

"Terri, I'm sorry to have to tell you this." Kitty looked into the deep green eyes of Kevin's sister apologetically. "Kevin and Charlie were murdered."

Terri stammered for a moment. Kitty now knew why it was so hard to tell family members that their loved ones were killed. It was like you were the murderer; killing the family with bad news. Especially like this when she knew the deceased and the deceased's sister, whom she was now killing with the news.

"How?" Terri finally whimpered.

"I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to tell you or not." Kitty admitted. She glanced over Terri's shoulder quickly into Terri's Chevy Malibu to see her two three-year-old twin daughters watching their mother intently whilst munching on graham crackers.

"Terri, would you please allow a member of my team to take hair samples from Annette and Anya?"

"Why?"

"We found a blonde hair inside and if we can cross check the DNA with your daughters' we might be able to…"

"To see if my _three-year-old_ daughters killed my brother and Charlie?"

"No, no! But if we can figure out whether the hair is theirs or not we may be able to know more about our murderer. We have nothing else, Terri, if we can label this hair as the killer's we are one step closer to figuring out who they are. If this is the same person who killed my parents, then the DNA won't be in the system.

Terri sighed. "Fine. I'll go get them."

"Thank you, Terri, I'll go get an agent."

Kitty walked through the door. "That was the sister. I managed to convince her to give us a hair sample from her daughters. The blondes. They're outside." She reported to Gibbs.

"Have I ever told you I'm glad I got to you first?"

"Nope, but I'm happy to be of service. This place is way better than hanging around with Agent Fornell or the guys in Area 51, boss." She grinned at him widely.

Gibbs smiled back. "DiNozzo go get the girls' hair samples.

Kitty stopped Tony on his way out. "No flirting, she's married."

"Thanks for that." DiNozzo replied disappointedly.

******************************************************************************************

"Abbs?" Gibbs called as he led Tony and Ziva into the lab.

Kitty and Abby stood by the computer. Abby was trying to force some Caf-Pow into the depressed teenager. She looked up.

"Gibbs! Good news, which is also kind of bad news." She pulled up a window on her computer monitor. "The hair found at the scene does not belong to Kevin's nieces. However, it also doesn't show up in CODIS."

"So we've still got nothing?"

"Well you could talk to Tony. I mean, he was trying to connect the two victims…"

"Nothing. Their only connection is you, McKinnon." Gibbs said in an irritated tone.

Kitty looked at the toes of her leather flats and furrowed her brow.

Her face suddenly lit up. "We've been looking in the wrong direction!" She started pacing much like Abby usually did. "We've been looking at people who would want revenge on my father and Kevin's father. But no… we should have been looking at someone who wants revenge on me!

"Momentary tangent, but it has a point, I promise, boss. Last year my school registered fingerprints as passwords for a new round of computers they bought. There's an entire database full of student fingerprints. I think that someone wants revenge on me for killing Spencer. And, considering what a good job you guys did of making sure my name didn't hit tabloids, I'd say, ten to one, that the person goes to the high school.

"Abby can you access the school's fingerprint database and run the…"

"Kitty!" McGee came running into the lab carrying a brown leather wallet Kitty knew to be Kevin's. McGee showed her a photograph inside.

It had been taken outside a local church, two school years ago, for middle school graduation. Kitty remembered the photo well, her mother had taken it. She'd had a copy in her locker that had gone missing a few weeks ago when she went to clean out her locker, as she was no longer going to regular school but taking online classes so she could stay with the team and be safe.

In the photo Kevin stood tall and proud in the middle with one arm around Kitty's shoulders and the other around a tall, thin girl with wild hair. The girl was Kitty's best girlfriend, Liz.

A big black 'X' was covering Kevin's smiling face, and a red dot was in between Liz's eyes. Kitty put on a pair of gloves and took the photo and turned it over. A tidy, feminine print spelled out a deadly message on the back.

_She's next 3_

Kitty blinked and furrowed her brow. "McGee I need you to bring me my mother's wallet please. We may have seen this coming without realizing it…"

He nodded and ran off to the evidence locker.

"I'm having trouble accessing the system, I'll have to wait for McGee to get back." Abby said in an annoyed tone.

"Then wait. Boss," Kitty turned and stared into her supervisor's eyes, "I need to relocate Liz Ardone and her family, I have to get them out of town."

"We'll keep them here."

"No! This killer is smart, she'll find them here. I'm sending them to Seattle."

"McKinnon…"

"Gibbs, five people's lives are at stake this time!"

"We. Will. Keep. Them. Safe." He said bluntly. "Is she still okay?"

Kitty let her attention fall to her friend.

"Boss, Kitty was right the same photo was in her mom's wallet. Red dot was on Carlisle…" McGee's voice faded as Kitty watched her surviving best friend typing out an essay slowly on her computer.

She looked at Liz's brothers Isaiah and Brent. They were playing a Playstation game in the living room. Her parents were at an Albertson's grocery shopping. No sign of danger anywhere. Kitty pulled her attention to her friend one last time. A blinking light in the periphery of her minds eye caught her attention in the small computer room. She focused in on it and started back to reality, a sharp squeak escaping her throat.

She grabbed for the cell phone in her pocket and dialed speed dial 9. She ignored the worried questions from her co-workers. It rang twice.

"Hello?" came a high-pitched boy's voice from the other end.

"Isaiah? It's Kitty give me to Liz now!"

"Okay, okay. LIZ!"

A moment passed before Liz's airy voice came on the other end.

"Hey-low?" she enunciated oddly as she usually did.

"Liz! You need to get your brothers and get out of the house and run somewhere where you can be safe."

"Why? Kit, what's wrong?"

"There's a bomb in your computer room. Someone is coming after the people I love. I didn't save Kevin but I can save you!" Kitty was running to the parking garage ignoring the yells from her colleagues demanding clarification.

"Kevin, what?! He's… he's…"

"Dead, Liz. He's dead. Get the hell out of that house and go somewhere! I'll be there as soon as possible and please, please! Take care of yourself."

"I will. Hurry." As Liz hung up Kitty could hear Isaiah and Brent protesting the turning off of their game machine.

Over the roar of her engine she heard McGee and Tony turning on the Porsche to follow her.


	6. Chapter 5

As Kitty turned from the main road into the neighbourhood where Liz lived she saw the house explode five blocks away. Her mind's eye flew to her friend to make sure she was still alive. She saw her huddling in a neighbour's living room with her two brothers. She satisfied herself with the knowledge that her friend was safe and she inspected the houses to either side of the explosion and the one across the alley.

The two side houses were empty and the house across the back was not touched. It had been a small blast, just enough to take out the Ardone house.

She pulled up before the wreckage and McGee pulled in behind her. Gibbs parked on the opposite side of the street.

She ran to the neighbour's door and pounded until it opened. Liz stood there looking at Kitty with tear stained eyes. The two girls embraced each other for a long moment.

"Liz, I'm sending you and your family to the NCIS head-quarters, you'll be safe there. Did you phone your parents?" Liz nodded. "When they get here get in the car, turn around and head to this address. Abby Scuito will meet you out front. Understand?" Liz nodded violently and hugged her friend tightly.

Another car pulled up behind them. "They're here, Liz. Take care, alright?"

"Yup." Liz wiped her eyes. "Isaiah, Brent, Mom and dad are here. Thank you, Kit. You be careful too."

"Always." She watched her friend board her family's Toyota Echo and leave the street.

From the passenger seat Mrs Ardone mouth a shaky _Thank you_. Kitty smiled in response.

She walked over to the demolished house and stood next to DiNozzo. "Where's Tim?" she asked.

"He ran around back to check out the damage at the back of the house." Gibbs and Ziva came over to join them. Gibbs jogged agilely right to Kitty.

"Did you get the kids to go to NCIS?"

"Yeah, they just left."

"Call her and tell her to check her wallet for the photo…"

"It was in the blast. She never carries it with her."

"Can you find whatever's left of it?"

"I think so."

Kitty imagined Liz's drivers permit to narrow down the search. She found the card in the charred wallet. She expanded her field of view and found it in the alleyway next to a crate. She ran around back and picked up the wallet right where she'd seen it. She opened the burnt denim wallet and looked at the pictures. Most of the ink had melted and run into a tie-die-esque pattern.

"Gibbs! We're gonna need Abby to help us sort this out…"

She looked next to her to see her boss approaching.

She looked down at the melted photo and noticed the colouring of the picture.

"This isn't the same photo as before." She stated flipping it over.

_He's next  
_

She turned it over again and examined the bottom edge which hadn't been melted. The orange date suggested the photo had been printed hastily from a digital picture taken by a rushed amature.

"Gibbs, I'm gonna take this back to Abby… I can't tell who this is…" she looked at the bottom left corner and gasped in sudden realization. She saw an NCIS badge and a white phone sticking out of a trouser pocket.

"It's Tim." She whispered, her voice completely taken over by fear and worry.

"Find him! DiNozzo…" Gibbs started barking out orders.

Kitty's mind was too frazzled with fear that she could lose one of the people she had come to love most in the world to form a clear picture. Her mind was cut off from trying by the ringing of her phone.

She looked down at the Caller ID. Abby.

"Abbs… What..?"

"Her name is Catrianna Wilson. Do you know her?"

"Yes, she and Spencer were in my art class last semester. They were best friends. Thank Abbs. Call Gibbs, he'll fill you in."

Kitty hung up and ran to her bike at full speed.

"Kitty, what are ya..?" Gibbs shouted as she dashed past.

"Abby will fill you in. Get her to give you my GPS." Kitty hollered over the determined roar of her Ducati. "I'm finding Tim."

She drove off at top speed down the street.


	7. Chapter 6

Kitty couldn't form a clear image of Tim out of her pain and fear. Tears streamed down her face as she drove into the wind without a helmet on. Tim would kill her for taking the risk, but that didn't matter right now. She focused on Catrianna.

The blonde girl was on top of a roof holding a gun straight out in front of her. When Kitty expanded her field of view she saw Tim in his t-shirt and trousers standing with his hands at his ear level on the edge of the roof. Kitty looked around at the view from the roof top to identify the building.

She drove into a section of town where most of the buildings were three or four stories high. She didn't have to look too hard. A crowd of people was beginning to form on one street corner looking up at something on the roof. Kitty stopped and looked at what they were seeing. Tim was standing on the roof top staring wide eyed at the ground four stories below.

She parked her bike quickly on the sidewalk and ran for the building. She bolted up the stairs within with incredible speed. She drew her gun as she burst through the door to the roof.

"Catrianna! Let him go!" Kitty hollered at the girl with her back to her.

"I don't think so, Kitty." The blonde said smugly while turning around, the gun still trained on Tim's back. McGee turned his head slightly so he could see Kitty out his periphery. Kitty could see his face was tear streaked. He was shaking. Kitty wanted to shoot so badly.

"Please, Catrianna, this has been enough. If you want me take me, I won't fight back. But please, please! Leave Tim alone." She felt a lump swell in her throat. Her hands were the only still part of her body, her gun aimed solidly between the stunning blondes eyes.

"Oh, but why would I do that? You killed the only person I gave a damn about!"

"And you've killed my parents, my best friend and his father. It's time to end this, Cat!" Kitty yelled, her voice faltering.

"If you wanted these people to live you shouldn't have killed Spencer." Catrianna said smugly.

"He didn't give me a choice! Look, Cat, I'll give you a choice. You can either kill Tim and I will ensure you die a slow, painful death, or you let me take his place." Tim's breath caught in his throat at the mention of Kitty giving up her life. He couldn't allow that.

"Kitty, don't…"

"Shut up!" Catrianna yelled at him.

"Cat. I didn't have a choice. You do. What will it be?"

Catrianna thought for a moment. "You take his place." She said.

Kitty walked slowly to the ledge and stepped up on it, keeping her gun trained on Catrianna's forehead the whole time. "Tim, get down. Run!" She said in a shaky voice.

"Kitty, please… don't do this for me…"

"Tim go…"

"I'd rather die than have you die!" he said angrily.

"Tim! Get. Down. _Now._" Kitty growled. He sighed and did as she said. Catrianna took her aim on Kitty's forehead instead.

The two girls looked calmly at each other. Now that Tim was safe, Kitty could focus. As soon as Tim was gone behind the door leading down into the building Kitty spoke again.

"Cat, I'll give you another choice. You can try to kill me in which case you will die as well, or you can put your weapon down. And we can go work this out down at NCIS. What will it be, Cat?"

"You didn't give Spencer a choice. Why are you showing me so much preference?"

"Tim and I gave him choices time and time again and he refused to listen. In the end he didn't give me a choice. It was either I kill him or he killed the entire school. Don't tell me you would have preferred that?"

"Maybe I would have. Then he'd still be alive!" she shrieked.

"He didn't give me a choice. I had to save those lives, Cat! That's my job, I try to help people. Now please, put the gun down and let's discuss this at NCIS."

"Then I'll go to jail for the rest of my life." She retorted aggressively.

"You put yourself in position for this, Cat. I'm giving you the chance to take the best option. Put the gun down and come to NCIS."

"Kitty!" McGee's voice came up from the street. "Kitty!" his voice cracked the second time.

"I'm sorry, Kitty." Catrianna loaded a bullet into the chamber of the gun. "I loved him. And you killed him."

The rest of the scene was played in slow motion. As though Kitty's brain had taken over and gave her the agility to react. Both guns fired at the same time, Kitty's being the more recent model giving her bullet more velocity. The bullet pierced Catrianna's forehead and the girl fell. Catrianna's bullet came at Kitty so slowly, it seemed. She could see it revolving in mid-air. She dodged left quickly to dodge it. It grazed her cheek and she lost her balance.

Her body began to fall, slowly, from the ledge of the building. Every muscle relaxed. Kitty didn't mind falling to her death now. The threat had been taken care of and, most importantly, Tim was safe again.

Her mind began to speed back to normal and her descent felt more rapid. She heard McGee's voice scream her name shrilly and she shed a tear for giving him so much pain. She watched the rows of windows pass. One. Two. Three. One more.

The top of the fourth window came into view and she whispered: "I'm so sorry Tim. I love you."

Her fall suddenly ceased. She was halfway down the last window and she was suspended in mid-air. She was sure her brain was not doing this.

She descended slowly and touched the ground as though she had been laid in a bed.

_Consider this one on the house._

Kitty gasped. _Alix!_

_The one and only. I may be taking you up on your offer to come to NCIS. My parents decided to kick me out after an incident at my sister's wedding._ His echoing voice laughed.

_Cake fall over?_ Kitty guessed.

_Nope. I caught it._

"Kitty!" McGee called as he rushed through the crowd and pulled her body from its flat position on the pavement into a huge, soft, warm hug. He buried his face in her shoulder and she felt his tears soaking through her blouse. "Kitty, Kitty, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you up there alone… I should have tried to stop her, Kitty, I'm so, so, so sorry…" his arms had formed a vice-like grip around her body as she lay limp from shock in his arms. She was still half-laying on the ground. "Kitty…" he kept whispering her name as he cried.

"Tim… I love you." She whispered as her eye-lids began to close.

"I love you too, so, so much." He held her as she passed out from a wave of shock.


	8. Epilogue

Tim adjusted his tie as all the people moved from the main floor of the massive church downstairs to the basement for the funeral reception.

DiNozzo, Gibbs and Ziva walked with him down the stairs.

"That was some eulogy." Tony said to McGee. "Well written."

They hit the bottom landing and looked around for people they might know. The Ardone family was standing together. But not many other people were there that they had met. Kevin Carlisle's sister, Terri and her two daughters and husband stood with _her_ twin sister and their brother and Kevin's mother.

Then McGee saw him. Archie McKinnon. He stood with his friends: the strongly built boy who had greeted him at the dorm, the geeky looking boy, two red-headed girls, a blonde guy, and a huge guy who must have been at least twenty.

Archie came over to greet the agents. "I wanted to thank you for coming. I'm sure Kitty was glad to have such loyal friends."

"We would do anything for her." McGee assured him.

"Really? That's good to know!" Kitty snuck up behind him and greeted him with a huge smile and a hug. "Thank you so much for coming! My parents would have been so happy to meet you. Kevin, as well. He would have truly loved you all."

"How are you holding up?" McGee discretely whispered in her ear.

"Great. I'm just happy I managed to keep a few lives with us after this ordeal."

"Kitty, could I have a word with you?" Gibbs asked wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

He led them away from the crowds and sat her down on the stairs.

"Kitty, you are aware that I was talking to the courts yesterday, much to my dislike?"

"Yes."

"Well, we wanted to keep your custody within the agency so we can take care of you and protect you. The judge was kind enough to hear my case and he said that, with your consent, McGee will be your legal guardian until you reach the age of 21."

Kitty gaped for a moment. "You're serious? Yes! Of course, I'd love to stay with McGee!" She jumped up excitedly. "Thank you, Gibbs." She gave him a huge Abby-style hug.

"You just need to sign a form saying you agree to the arrangement..." He hugged her back.

"You don't need to tell me twice!" she said smiling out of control.

He let her go and held her at arms-length. She brushed a stray hair form her face and smiled at her. "You remind me so much of Kelly."

"I'm happy that you would compare me to such an important person in your life, Gibbs." She smiled. "May I ask… does anyone else know about Kelly?"

He shook his head. "Only Ducky. And I'd prefer you didn't discuss it with him."

"Autopsy gremlin might be listening." Kitty repeated DiNozzo with a laugh.

"Exactly. I don't want anyone else knowing either, alright?"

"Yes, boss."

Gibbs smiled, gave her one last hug and dragged her off to talk to the rest of the funeral guests.


End file.
